Om Malik takes a look today at news that Clearwire is planning an IPO with the hope of raising as much as $400 million. "With all the talk about network neutrality, and the buzz around fixed wireless, WiMAX and wireless broadband, it is no surprise that Clearwire is getting ready to cash in," Malik writes.

The IPO plans, Malik says, underscore how expensive it's likely to be to set up a nationwide WiMAX network -- research firm In-Stat estimates that the network is going to cost as much as $3 billion.

According to the Financial Times, "In a preliminary prospectus filed with the US Securities and Exchange Commission, Clearwire said it would use the proceeds from the sale of Class A stock for market and network expansion, spectrum acquisitions, and general corporate purposes. Clearwire plans to have two classes of stock, a format used by some media companies to ensure that founders keep control."

And the Seattle Times notes that Clearwire's SEC filing provides some information about the company that hasn't previously been available. "It is providing service to about 88,000 subscribers in U.S. and about 11,500 subscribers in Belgium and Ireland. Previous estimates had guessed that it was serving only 20,000 users. According to a list of providers compiled by Broadband Wireless Exchange magazine, that would easily make Clearwire the largest provider of the service. It also cleared up questions as to how much spectrum the company has access to, which is critical for rolling out the service. Clearwire confirmed that it believes it owns the second-largest spectrum position in the U.S., and said if things go according to plan, it will have enough capacity to serve up to 90 million people."